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What Heat Does to Your Body (and Brain)

Training in high temperatures (no matter what the activity is) affects your thermoregulation, hydration status, and neuromuscular control, which is a fancy way of saying it messes with your timing, balance, and decision-making.

Heat also increases RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion), meaning your body feels like it’s working harder even if the output is the same. And for fencers, where split-second timing matters, that extra fatigue can be the difference between landing a hit and getting hit.

Let’s look at these changes in a little more detail:

1. You Exhaust Faster
When your environment is hot your body has to work harder to maintain its normal core temperature. As internal temperature rises your cardiovascular system combats this by diverting blood from your muscles to your skin to help you cool off. Your body basically prioritizes not cooking internally over supplying muscles with oxygen. The result? Faster muscle fatigue even if you’re fencing at what feels like an “easy” intensity.

2. Dehydration Kills Performance
Losing as little as 2% of your body weight in water from sweating can impair endurance, reduce cognitive performance (i.e. reaction time and decision-making), and increase perceived exertion. In other words, you’ll feel more tired even if you're doing less. Avoiding dehydration is essential if you’re heading to a hot event.

3. Your Brain Slows Down
Heat stress affects your central nervous system, leading to slower reflexes, decreased focus, and worse decision-making. We’re still understanding exactly what pathways cause this to happen, but likely relates to changes in the permeability of the blood brain barrier and the serotoninergic or dopaminergic pathways. Regardless, this change is especially important for fencing where milliseconds and clarity matter. So when you start to cook at your next event, remember that even if your body is still “doing the thing”, your brain is struggling to keep up…and your fencing may reflect that.

4. Injury Risk Accelerates
As your muscles overheat they become less efficient and more prone to cramping, early fatigue, or movement pattern breakdowns. Combined that with a slowing down of your central nervous system (and the same happening in your opponent) and you’ve got a great recipe for ugly mistakes and acute injury.

References:
https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1999.86.3.1032
https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31802ca597
https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12350
DOI: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31802ca597

HEMA Hot Take: Full Armored practices in the Summer Is a Risk—Not a Badge of Honor

Look, I get it. We love our armor. God knows I love armor, as I am currently sitting next to my full kit made by Jeff Wasson, one of the best armorers in the world. But I also know that training hard in full kit in 90+ degree weather and humidity isn’t grit—it’s a gamble.

Before you say, “back in my day…”, keep in mind I grew up doing reenactment and armored fighting in the 2000s, outdoors, in South Florida. I know what hot means. And I know how frustrating it can be when you look at the weather report and see multiple 32c or 90F+ days in a row. But your armor functions as a portable sauna, and and training in it on a hot summer day isn’t just uncomfortable - it’s dangerous.

We need to stop pretending that overheating is just part of being a “serious” martial artist. Fainting, vomiting, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke are not signs of commitment—they're signs your body is shutting down.

Across organized sports, there are clear heat safety guidelines that dictate when it’s no longer safe to train or compete, based not just on air temperature, but on a measure called wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). WBGT accounts for air temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover. In other words, it reflects how hot it feels to your body when you're exerting yourself—not just the number on a thermometer.

• NCAA Guidelines (USA college sports) recommend modifying or canceling outdoor practices when WBGT exceeds 82°F (27.8°C).

• High school athletic associations in many U.S. states mandate practice delays, reduced equipment, and mandatory rest breaks above 80°F WBGT, and often cancel all activity above 88–90°F WBGT.

• NFL teams reduce pads, weigh players before and after practices and spend thousands on cooling stations, mist fans, ice towels, and have a sports medicine doctor standing on the sidelines at every hot practice.

That’s for athletes in sports gear. Now imagine wearing 90+ pounds of steel, or even just our 350N nonbreathable black outfits trapping heat and and restricting sweat evaporation.

It’s time clubs and tournaments took heat illness more seriously. You are not weak for avoiding heat stroke by skipping practice or sitting out. You’re a professional hobbyist with a brain.

Coach’s Corner

One of the simplest ways you can help your fencers this summer is by ensuring they have access to adequate hydration. Even mobile clubs with no dedicated practice space can fund a big team Igloo cooler and chip in for coaches to buy and bring gatorade or water in bulk.

AMSSM Guidelines for Hot Workouts:

Prior to workout: drink 20 oz. of water or sports drink 1-2 hours before and may add another 10 oz. 15 minutes prior to activity. Athletes who cramp often may need to augment electrolytes by adding an electrolyte packet. Some athletes swear by pickle juice mixtures, soy sauce, etc. which all have higher concentrations of sodium and other electrolytes. These are safe to use (if gross).

During workout: drink 10 oz. every 15 minutes or so based on thirst. One caveat would be long endurance runs in which drinking too much fluid may decrease sodium levels to cause mental status changes. Sports drinks should contain less than 8% carbohydrate (18g per 8 oz.) and should also be cooled to under 60 degrees if possible. Watering down gatorade, lucozade or another favorite sports drink is a great way to balance this out.

What not to drink during workouts: caffeinated beverages including sodas, alcohol, or fruit juices.

Post-Workout hydration: athletes can consider weighing themselves before and after activity during strenuous summer workouts. It is recommended for every pound lost to drink 20 oz. of water or sports drink. This may be done over many hours and doesn’t need to be guzzled right after.

Urine color is another good indicator of hydration. Darker urine color is indicative of dehydration!

Health & Fitness Tips

How to Exercise in the Heat Without Falling Apart

Some smart adaptations for the summer:

• Shift your training times: Early morning or late evening sessions are cooler.

• Train indoors or under cover when possible: Air conditioning or at least a coupel big fans are your friend.

• Reduce volume, not quality: Scale back the total duration or number of rounds, but keep the focus sharp.

• Hydrate like an athlete: That means before, during, and after. Add electrolytes if you're a heavy sweater. See the above section.

• Use the buddy system: Look out for your training partner. They may not want to take a break, but if you can tell they’re flagging, quit the exercise and cool down.

• Know the signs: Dizziness, chills, headache, weakness = de-gear and shut it down.

Conditioning Move of the Week

Single Leg Kettlebell Switches

This is an advanced total-body move for athlets that requires coordination, balance, single limb stability and core/upper body strength. Check out the second half of the video for a modified version that makes learning this move much easier.

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